Once upon a time,
A merman lived with two problems. "I am alive," he said, "but I am awfully lonely. I live here in such a vast ocean, and there is no one to call my friend. I see humans play and laugh. I want to do that too. But what am I to play by myself? What am I to laugh about?" The boy would watch humans from the ocean and say, "I may be alive here, but I am so lonely. Though, if I go to the humans, I will no longer be lonely, but I will no longer be alive either."
It's been about a week since your first meeting with Lantis. You tried to ensure some kind of schedule where you could meet up cause you were sure you wouldn't be able to meet him every night, but he insisted that he would wait in the cove every night just in case. And, God, you sure wished you could come every night. You loved your job, yeah. You loved the reclscie facility and the lab and the aquarium...but like, there's a literal merman waiting for you! You looked up at the time and then down at Weather who was examining the samples you collected that day. "How are they looking?" You asked, leaning over to peak at his research.
"Everything seems fine so far. Did you finish your part?"
"I did," you replied. You began to take off your lab coat and put on the aquarium uniform vest. "But Sonia called me in to help her out at the kids activity center. Apparently, the rescue squad found a sea turtle with a damaged she'll washed up on shore, so a lot of the employees are a bit scattered to help out. They say that she'll make it out fine, but they'll need to help fix her shell."
"Oh, geez. Kinda reminds me of that one you brought in," he chuckled. "It was super attached to you. I wonder what it's up to now "
"Probably living it's life like any other fish in the sea," you scoffed as you began to step out the door. You made sure your lanyard with your ID was placed around your neck. "Don't get lonely without me."
"You're only half way out the door, and I feel like eight years of stress had suddenly disappeared," he replied blandly. You knew he was joking, so you chuckled and made your way up to the aquarium.
When you arrived upstairs to the aquarium, the noise of children laughing and running had reached your ears. A numerous if families gathered around the tanks, and you could see kids having their fun with toys that they have bought from the gift shop not too far from here. It was surely a lively crowd, and this was just one area. You were curious what the more popular rooms were like.
You took a moment to stare at the the large tank before you. The hues if light blue brushed up against your face. Different kinds of sea creatures swam around aimlessly in peace. The harmony on the tank was soothing. This was just scraping the tip of the ocean actual beauty. Fish of different colors and shapes swam at their own pace, and you could hear people gasping in awe under their breath. You wondered how Lantis saw the ocean. It was the only world he had ever known. From what he's told you, he east too interesting in land, but he wasn't entirely indifferent to it either. As you talked to him more and more, he seemed to take whatever he told with such awe. But he's never really pressed you for questions. You were usually the one asking the questions.
You arrived at the kids' area, spotting Sonia almost instantly. She wobbled towards you, trying to avoid the raging and energetic children that ran around the area. Before she made it to you, she would sometimes yell across the room, "Excuse me, please don't climb that-Ah! Please don't drag that around. H-hey, please don't grab that," before you got to you. You could see her completely exhausted but not miserable. You had known Sonia to be one to work well with kids, and she seemed to enjoy it. Even if they were utterly exhausting. As the girl stood in front of you, she patted down her brown and red-dyed hair. Her face was filled with exhaustion, and her uniform vest along with her jeans and the blue blouse under it seemed to be a bit worn. Some area were soaked in sea water and were now drying slowly, but the spot had remained. "Heya, thank for coming (Y/n). I'm didn't know who else to help me out," she sighed in relief.
"It sure seems like it. I;m glad to help. So, what do you need me to do?"
"Right, I need to feed the fish in the big tank annnnd I think the octopi are scheduled for feeding about right now or so."
"Alright, so would you like me to watch the kids,or do you want me to feed the fish?"
"Hmm, which ever. I just need to have the fish fed before 2."
"Feeding the fish it is then," you chimed, backing up and away from the kids' area. You didn't mind kids all together, but you would rather not deal with the little gremlins. You ran off, leaving Sonia behind as you took the fish food and traveled to the top of the largest tank the aquarium owned. You lowered down the food, allowing the ocean creatures to eat. A few balls of cabbage for the small fish and pieces of meat for the carnvious ones. You noticed the audience before you, gasping at the fish eating their lunch. You noticed that people seemed to really enjoy watching the fish eat, and you enjoyed giving the people a show. It made them feel more obliged to donate money.
Afterwards, you raveled downstairs to feed the octopi, noticing Tua watching at the two octopi in the tank, mindlessly scratching at his arm. You crept up behind him, the food for the sea creatures in hand. You leaned over to look over his shoulder before talking. "Hey, I didn't expect you to come to the aquarium today. You could have told me."
Tua immediately spun around, noticing your presence. "Jesus," he rasped.
"Heya," you replied back. "Are you off work today?"
"Sorta, yeah. It was last minute, so I decided to pop by. Haha, I guess I should have told you or Weather, but I thought I would have ran into either way, and lo and behold." He gestured to you with his signature smile, causing you to scoff in reply.
"That so?" You asked. "You didn't get fired did you?"
"What?! No! No, no. I got the day off, i swear. What you thought I'd lose my job just like that?"
You shrugged, bringing yourself closer to the octopus tank, and Tua followed after you. "You can be kinda bum sometimes."
"That's because I'm always worked to the bone," he whined blandly. "Can't I just relax around you? Besides, 'm paid by commision, so I gotta work until the project is done. By the way, let's grab a bite for dinner tonight. Guessing that Weather isn't with you means he's busy, huh?"
"Yeup, but I gotta decline on the dinner." You brought yourself onto a stepping ladder, bringing yourself up before dumping a number of small fish into the tank. The two of you watched as the octopi immediately spring to get their food. Sometimes they would bring their mouth to the fish, sucking them in or wrapping their prey around with their tendril, bringing it to their mouth. Tua gripped his arm for moment as he watched. He seemed completely immersed in their feeding, but that wasn't unnatural. People were usually mesmerized by fish feeding. He looked back at you, with a brow raised. "...How come?"
"Well, I'm meeting a friend. I already promised him."
"You've been promising him for a week now. Are you sure you aren't friends with benefits? You don't have to be ashamed if you lost your v-card, (Y/n). It might even give us a reason to get crazy drunk-"
"I'm not having sex with anyone, Tua," you corrected, causing the dark-skinned male to pout. As you climbed down, you turned your attention to him and continued to explain. "He's just new in town, so I'm helping get used to the place. Besides, he's not ready to meet new people. He's like, super foreign."
"Yeah, well, so was I, and-"
"-and I let you live at my apartment for an entire year."
"You're too nice, you know that?" Tua huffed.
"No, I just needed someone to play housewife for me while I work," you joked.
"Speaking of house wife," he added. He took off his backpack and pulled out two sandwiches. "I figured you'd reject my offer for dinner, so I brought sandwiches just in case." He handed you one of the neatly cut food, and you took a moment to look down at it.
"You're kidding me, right? You didn't have to bring me food," you said.
"And I know if I didn't, you wouldn't have eaten at all."
"Food and drink isn't allowed in the aquarium," you scolded, refusing to take the food her packed.
"Oooh, just bend the rules this once. For me...? When's the last time you've had my homemade sandwiches. You said you liked them, right?"
"I do, but-"
"Awesome, You've made me the happiest guy in the world," he chimed. He shoved the sandwich into your hands, and you sighed in defeat. He moved over to a bench across from the octopus tank. You decided to oblige and sat next to him. As expected of Tua, the male scarfed the sandwich down within moments and waited for you to take the first bite. The male watched you intently, and you took a shy first bite. The taste of rich ham came into contact with your tongue. Mayo and swiss cheese came afterwards, and though it was generally a regular sandwich, something about it made the taste all the more alluring. That was Tua' s secret though. He always made such simple meals taste more exquisite than they should be. You began to eat more and more before the sandwich was completely gone.
"Wow, you really do make the best food, Tua," you commented as you popped your fingers into you mouth one by one to get a last taste of the sandwich you had finished. "You ever gonna tell me what you do to make them taste so good?"
Tua stared at you for a moment. His eyes weren't completely wide, but they weren't half-lidded as usual. It was as if he were waiting for a moment. Though, he quickly broke his own daze and answered you. "Nope," he laughed. He unscrewed his medicine container open and pushed a pill into his mouth before taking a spill of water to wash it down. "You'll just have to rely on me for it. Just be glad that I don't charge you for it."
"Oof, you sound like a more like a little prick than usual," you giggled. He laughed along with you.
"But we should hang out more often. I can make you more meals. You have kinda been distant lately. Weather told me that you've been leaving early. What's up with the guy you're meeting? I mean, I'm not against it or anything, but...so you really have to meet them everyday?"
"Well, I am interested in him, and I want him to trust me," you explained looking down.
"Yeah, and I get that...I get that..." Tua laughed, only to have his tone die down as he looked at the floor. His fingers intertwined. "I just, like...don't want you to forget about us, ya know...?"
"I would never!" You snicked. Your wrapped your arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer to you. "How about this, tomorrow, it is all about you and me! Let's do whatever you want, okay? You're free tomorrow, right?"
HIs eyes grew wider with glee. "Yeah! I am!!" He beamed.
"Awesome! Then meet me at my place at 10 and we'll go from there, okay?"
"Yeah!" Tua replied with a smile. "Wait, no, let me make us breakfast, so I'll come at 8."
"Whatever you'd like prince charming!" You were sure Lantis wouldn't mind you taking one day off.
xXx
Lantis mindlessly swam along the reef. Since he has met with you every night, he made sure to stay near the cove. However, that made it difficult to avoid other humans. Yes, it wasn't impossible, but it was certainly not easy either. Lantis was quite skilled in avoiding people, so as long as he was cautious, he would be fine. Though, humans weren't the worst problem for the ebony merman. He was now left with his own thoughts until the night where he would meet you. This was never a problem before, but now that he had you, there were so many things going through his mind. He wanted to be with you. He wanted to actually hold you and see you and be with you. He wanted you to feel the same way as well. Though, there was only so much the two of you could do within the two to three hours your are together, and even then, there isn't much to do but talk, not that you minded... You seemed so interested in him and his world, but he was smart enough to know that you weren't actually interested him Lantis. You were interested in what Lantis was. It was reasonable, and he was mildly curious about you as a human and of your world, but he had spent enough time watching you to care more than just the fact that you have something called "legs." There was a distinct difference in your relationship.
He had known you for months, watching from afar. You had known him for a week.
The male grimaced at the thought. He looked down at the corals below him. He had stalked you. There was no pride in that, but that was because he was convinced that he would never be able to get the chance to actually meet you. He would, at least, be able to admire you from afar. Though, how he actually got to know you. He could to talk to you, meet you, touch. He finally got to do more than just watch and sigh. But with all that, he thought he would be happy. He thought he was be satisfied. However, it was the exact opposite. He wanted more. He wanted to be greedy. He wanted to do more than just talk. He didn't know how long he could could do this-talking about things he didn't care for. He didn't care about other sea creatures, other merfolk He didn't care what could possibly be out there. He didn't care how deep the merfolk could travel. He didn't care what happens when he died. He didn't care about fish, or sea witches, or merfolk, or-
"Sea witch!!" He gasped to himself. Though, he voice had been muffled by the water. The sea witches knew magic, and if there was one here, maybe they could help him. No matter the cost, he was sure he could pay it if it meant could be actually be with you! No more dumb awkward chats and always fearing someone else would find him. He could be human and sit next to you and actually do things humans do! They could choke each other by wrapping their arms about each of their forms, or they could try to suck the life out of each others mouths!! He could do what humans do romantically. He just needed to talk to the sea witch. They usually resided in the deeper, darker parts of the ocean, so it would definitely be quite the swim. Lantis quickly traveled to the surface to check the time of day. When he reached up, he noticed how the sun was close to the horizon, but it wasn't there just yet. He could make it! He could make it if he really tried.
The male dove back down and swam as fast as he could, leaving the reef, and then the outer reef. He swam until he reached the Mariana Trench. He swam deeper in, feeling the heat leave the water. He rubbed his arms but didn't stop. If a sea witch could live in such chilling water temperatures then he could quickly visit it and get out.
The trench began to lose light until it was completely black. Luckily, the male wa still able to see with his bioluminescence. However, it wasn't much help. The was just darkness alright. It was hard to look at the caves around as the trench began to grow wider. His light only stretched to around a five foot radius, so he couldn't see everything. In fact, he could almost see nothing. It all felt otherworldly and surreal. Once he would feel around for some kind of towering figure of chilled magma, he could see something. There was something in this lonely world other them him. Though, once he moved away from it, it felt like he had trapped himself into a void. He would be one person in a world of nothing...and it was horrifying.
The male scanned the area as he dove in deeper. He tried to spy some kind of cave. The sea witches usually hid within underwater tunnels. He entered as many as he could find, and when nothing seemed to show signs of anyone living in it, he continued down. He cringed at the sight of other sea creatures. His bioluminesce didn't make it hard to see, but when he came across such monstrous sites, he wished he couldn't see it all. To say the least, the fish looked like demons who had been mangled and had freshly crawled out of hell. With their irregular and sharp teeth, dull eyes, crooked bodies, and strange light sources on their form, Lantis felt as though he were in danger. Given, he knew that they wouldn't attack a target as big as him, but maybe, just maybe, one of them were feeling bold enough to try.
He held his hand and pressed them against his chest as he continued to swim. He then noticed the slight shaking in his wrist...his hand...his arm. Lantis was trembling. He wasn't sure if it was from fear or from the temperature, but he tried to convince himself it was the latter. The cold temperature caused sense to slowly grow numb. What were to happen if something actually did attack him? What if he died here? What if he died seeing, hearing, and feeling nothing. What if he truly became the only person in the world of nothing. He didn't want to die, and he didn't want to be alone. Though, was this any different from the reef? There, Lantis was alive. He could still feel the warmth of the sun. he could sometimes eve see from one shore the the next. But he was lonely, dreadfully lonely. Lantis then thought of you. He thought of the moments you had spent together. You were right there. With you, he no longer felt lonely. But once you left that cove, once you stood up from your spot, he was dead to your world. You couldn't follow you. He couldn't go with you. Where the land was, you were there...and Lantis couldn't follow.
It was no surprise to him, Lantis was scared. He was terrified. However, he was even more terrified of a life without you. You were with him, but he couldn't actually "be" with you. You could easily find someone, and when you decide he could no longer provide the answers you wanted, you could leave. There was more land out there,more land he couldn't get to. He could easily doe within your world by you just taking one step off the beach. Maybe, if he died here, that would be a mercy to himself. He could risk it all by swimming here and he would no longer be lonely or dead. Or he could live the rest of his seasons lonely in this world he called the ocean and dead in the world you called land.
Lantis clenched his teeth. He would take that risk. He was sure that you would be sad if he died now, but what if he could actually become human? Then everything would be solved, and the both of you will be happier than you have ever been. Lantis would take that chance.
He formed his hands into fists and began to swim fast. He checked everywhere he could, trying to find even maybe a glimmer of a clue that the sea witch was here, and within due time...he did.
After what seemed like forever in the middle of nowhere, Lantis stumbled upon the entrance to a cave. At first glance, there was nothing inside, and Lantis would have dismissed it if there wasn't a lamp hanging just above the entrance with a blue flame captured inside. The male moved up closer to the flame. He had never seen fire up close before. He had seen humans starting them and putting them out along the beach shore, but he never had the chance to touch it. He opened the glass panel and reached his hand it. However, he felt nothing. It didn't take long for him to realize that this blue flame wasn't actually human fire. It was magic.
Lantis knew that he had found the place. The merman made his way in, looking around for any sign of the sea witch. You was aghast by all the contraptions her did not recognize. He wondered if they were human, and at that, would you recognize them?He traveled deeper seeing a number of disfigured fish. They all turned his way as he came closer. He gulped but managed to make his way through. He continued until he managed to reach the end of the cave. However, he found no witch. He felt a loss for words. He came all this way for nothing. Maybe the sea witch had died and left behind this place. The male looked around. Maybe he could find something that would help him on his case. Nothing seemed to work, but he didn't find something laying in the corner of the room. Curious, he picked it up before exiting the trench with it in hand.
XxX
WOW I have to say, thank you! Thank you so, so much for reading and supporting this story in a positive light. My previous yandere story had not received such a large positive review and I wasn't sure how this would turn out. But it turned out so much better than what I had ever expected. Thank you so much once again. All your comments make me so happy! And I love everything you guys have to say!! I really enjoy making this story, and I am glad you enjoy reading it! (and sorry i felt lazy so no drawing today...)
If this chapter hasn't made it clear enough. You are working as a marine biologist in an aquatic rescue facility. The facility rescues various aquatic creatures and helps them recover before releasing them again, and if they aren't fit to be released, they take permanent residence in the aquarium. Your work is funded by the aquarium. These are pretty common, so I'm stealing the ideas here cause the job sounds like fun-but maybe a little tight on money. So expect yourself to have a pretty humble apartment lolol.
Also, hey, hey. I am starting a yandere discord. I would be great if you joined in. If you are interested, comment down below and I will send you an invite.